The Ancient Life History of the Earth eBook

4. The extinct Mammals with which man coexisted
are referable in many cases to species which presumably
required a very different climate to that now prevailing
in Western Europe. How long a period, however,
has been consumed in the bringing about of the climatic
changes thus indicated, we have no means of calculating
with any approach to accuracy.

5. Some of the deposits in which the remains
of man have been found associated with the bones of
extinct Mammals, are such as to show incontestably
that great changes in the physical geography and surface-configuration
of Western Europe have taken place since the period
of their accumulation. We have, however, no means
at present of judging of the lapse of time thus indicated
except by analogies and comparisons which may be disputed.

6. The human implements which are associated
with the remains of extinct Mammals, themselves bear
evidence of an exceedingly barbarous condition of
the human species. Post-Pliocene or “Palaeolithic”
Man was clearly unacquainted with the use of any of
the metals. Not only so, but the workmanship of
these ancient races was much inferior to that of the
later tribes, who were also ignorant of the metals,
and who also used nothing but weapons and tools of
stone, bone, &c.

7. Lastly, it is only with the human remains
of the Post-Pliocene period that the palaeontologist
proper has to deal. When we enter the “Recent”
period, in which the remains of Man are associated
with those of existing species of Mammals, we
pass out of the region of pure palaeontology into
the domain of the Archaeologist and the Ethnologist.

LITERATURE.

The following are some of the principal works and
memoirs to which the student may refer for information
as to the Post-Pliocene deposits and the remains which
they contain, as well as to the primitive races of
mankind:—­